1. It was built under the order of Cen Chunxuan, an official of China Qing government, and the cost came from boxer indemnity (foreign refund).
2. Shanxi University was founded on May 8th, 1902. Formerly known as Shanxi University Hall, it is one of the first three national universities established in Qing Dynasty (the other two are Shi Jing University Hall and Beiyang University Hall).